MOVIE NEWS – Alec Baldwin claims he didn’t pull the trigger of the gun that killed Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust, and his assistant director backs up his claim.

The police are still investigating what happened on the set of the Alec Baldwin-starring western film Rust that led to the death of cameraman Halyna Hutchins. The crew was preparing for a scene in which Baldwin’s character drew a firearm and pointed it at the camera. It is not entirely clear what happened next, but somehow the gun fired a live shot that hit both Hutchins and director Joel Souza. Hutchins was transported by helicopter to a local hospital, but his life could not be saved while Souza’s injuries were treated, and he was released shortly afterwards.

Alec Baldwin spoke openly about the fatal accident in a lengthy new interview with ABC presenter George Stephanopoulos. He tearfully told how much Hutchins was loved and admired by all those who worked with him. Baldwin gave his own version of the accident, saying that he never actually pulled the trigger of the firearm that assistant director Dave Halls had given him, which he described as a “cold gun”. In the interview, you can read how the actor details what happened at the moment the gun actually fired, claiming that it happened because he let go of the cock and only pointed the gun at Hutchins after he instructed him to do so.

“This was a completely incidental shot, an angle that may not have even been in the film at all. But, we kept doing this, and so I said to her, ‘Now in this scene, I’m gonna cock the gun. I said, ‘Do you want to see that?’ And she said, ‘Yes.’ So, I take the gun, I start to cock the gun. I’m not gonna pull the trigger. I said, ‘Do you see this?’ ‘Well, just cheat it down, and tilt it down a little bit like that.’ And I cocked the gun, and go, ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?'”

“Then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off. That was moment the gun went off.”

The claim that Alec Baldwin did not have his finger on the trigger was confirmed by assistant director Dave Halls. Halls’ lawyer also appeared on Good Morning America on Thursday, saying Baldwin’s finger was “outside the trigger guard the entire time”, and Halls insisted from day one that he believed it was a “misfire”. In an interview with the ABC, Baldwin added that it was only nearly an hour later that he realised there could have been a live round in the gun. He claims it was an accidental accident and not sabotage, as the gun master’s lawyer argued.

Baldwin also seemed to agree with recent comments made by Daniel’s brother that gun safety is up to the gunsmith and other firearms professionals, not the actors. In response to the criticism that he has a responsibility for the film as a producer, Baldwin said he is a “creative producer” whose role is focused on the content, and he does not make the shooting decisions. Ultimately, he feels that the person responsible, who the police have not yet named, is the one who may have brought live ammunition on the set.

“I feel that someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me. Honest to God, if I felt that I was responsible, I’ve killed myself if I thought I was responsible. I don’t say that lightly.”

You can watch the full interview, Alec Baldwin: Unscripted, on Hulu.

Source: ABC News